


Playing with Fire

by ElwenTheTimeComes



Category: The Hobbit (Jackson Movies), The Hobbit - All Media Types, The Hobbit - J. R. R. Tolkien
Genre: Anger, F/M, Fire, Fit, Oneshot, Things get heated up
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-03
Updated: 2015-04-03
Packaged: 2018-03-21 02:57:39
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,716
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3674856
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ElwenTheTimeComes/pseuds/ElwenTheTimeComes
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tauriel decides to tell Thranduil a few home truths, and things get heated up.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Playing with Fire

**Author's Note:**

> Hey! For those who have read my other work 'Assume Nothing', on which I am still working, my exams should be over in a couple of weeks so a new chapter should arrive then. This is just a something on the side that came up to me. It's probably not that good, but I had fun writing it, blunt as it may sometimes be.  
> Once again, forgive my eventual language mistakes, English is not my first language.  
> Thank you for taking the time to read!

            She had been holding it back for too long now. She could feel this power inside of her. It was rousing. She had never felt anything that strong. She was done with keeping things to herself.

Tauriel put down the bow she had been practicing with, or rather dropped it, to the astonishment of the other elves around her. She turned around and started walking hastily towards the throne room.

“What’s up with her?” she could read on people’s faces.

Her pace got faster and faster. She barely registered all of the stairs that she climbed up and down, all of the narrow paths that she took. All that mattered was the destination. And she was taking the shortest way possible, no matter who would see her, hear her, or what was in her way. She only had one thing in mind. She could feel a fire building inside of her. Her fists were clenched and she was slightly biting on her bottom lip.

            Outside of the throne room, she passed two guards who did not flinch as she did. She stormed in. The room was empty. But she had been suspecting so, and the absence of reaction from the two guards had confirmed it.

That would not stop her. She spun around, this time almost running, and exited the room, passing the guards again. She headed straight for the palace chambers.

            She was called out to several times as she made her way deeper into the halls. She answered to no one, at times even dismissing people by a sign of her hand. She knew people would be talking and whispering about “whatever came over her?” and “did you see the Captain this evening? She seemed in quite a temper.” But she did not mind. All that mattered was ahead, and she was closing in with each step she took.

            After a final turn, she came to face the two large doors of the King’s chambers. She stopped. She could hear her heart beating up to her head, loud as if someone was banging a hammer against her skull –not because of the small effort the path had meant to her, but because of all she was feeling and apprehending. She closed her eyes and let a long breath out, trying to relax for what was coming. She opened her eyes, breathed in as her jaw clenched, and stared right ahead, with such intensity the two guards keeping the doors could swear she could see right through them. They frowned, growing concerned.

Her pause had only lasted a few seconds. However, time itself had seemed to stop and the guards suddenly got taken aback when she hastily made her way to the King’s chambers, crossing the long corridor in which she had previously paused in a matter of seconds. They exchanged a surprised glance before taking a few steps forward, thinking they could stop her. She kept her focus ahead and barely even looked at them.

“Stand aside” she ordered as she swiftly passed by them.

For a second they wondered whether they ought to obey their direct superior, the Captain, or whether they ought to obey their king. By the time they gathered their thoughts and figured out what the obvious answer was, it was too late.

That second of hesitation had been enough for Tauriel to take action. She flung open the two large doors and entered the room.

***

A couple steps in, she stopped and scanned her surroundings. She saw about six or seven elves, most of them with a glass of wine in their hand, looking at her, mouth half agape.  It seemed she had interrupted the conversation.

At the end of the small room (this was merely where the King saw his counsellors, his more private chambers being only connected to this one by a private hall), she finally saw him. He was there, standing tall and proud, with both hands behind his back and a mischievous smile growing on his face.

Tauriel suddenly felt each and every pair of eyes in the room looking her up and down. Yet she had come so far she was not about to back down now.

            “Well, Captain, now that you’re here, why don’t you join us?” said the King with a smirk, beckoning her to the table where wine and cups were placed.

            “My King, I came here because –“she started.

            “ _Please_.”

She walked over to the table, filled a cupful of wine and gulped it down before turning back to the tall blond elf. The wine was spicy, and she realised that her throat was burning. But that fire only fanned the one that had been building inside her.

The room was still quiet. The counsellors were still watching. They seemed stuck in that perverse state between unease and voracious curiosity.

Tauriel’s eyes met the King’s, and from that moment on, they did not take their eyes off one another.

            “Three more members of a patrol team came back injured this morning, Aran-nin” she started, louder than anyone should, addressing the King.

            “As always, they will be provided with the best of healers. I always –“

            “This is not the point” she cut him short. She saw the smirk disappear from his face, to be replaced by an offended look that she knew how to put on. “This is not about healing, because you have proved many times over that you care about your people and that you would never let us die.” Her voice was raising with each sentence she made. “But this will not do for much longer. We all know what is growing out there. And we all know that if we don’t concern ourselves with more than merely our area of the forest, those things will soon outnumber us. We may be good, skilful guard members, if things don’t change, we won’t be carrying injured friends back. We will be carrying corpses. And no matter how good your healers are, none can bring back the dead. We cannot keep hiding within our walls and thinking that the world outside will deal with the rest. We must get involved and contain evil while we may. We must trade healing for prevention. We are part of this world, my King, and we cannot keep holing up down here for we will not be any more spared than the rest of this world we live in. It is about time _you_ got involved, my King.”

The other elves in the room were now for the most part watching their feet. Some of them were even slowly and carefully making their way towards the door, like dogs scenting a storm.

            “I have said before that your worries have been taken into account, Captain, and I should warn you yet again not to cross a line” he said with his low, powerful voice.

            “I will not sit while evil is thriving.”

            “You will do as you are told!”

The conversation kept on getting louder with each argument they threw at each other.

            “Is this what you want? A pack of dolls complying with your every wish?”

            “I want discipline.”

            “I am beginning to think it is our death you wish for!”

            “I only want what is best for my people” he said, teeth clenched.

            “Then do something! You should be an example for all!”

            “Lower your voice. You forget who you are talking to. You are not being rational.”

            “Am I not? Are you not the King?”

            “You –“

            “You know what is right!”

            “Enough.”

She braced herself for what she was about to say. “Did you ever consider this is why your son left?”

            “ENOUGH!” He yelled out, sending his cup banging against the wall.

Tauriel jumped at his sudden fit of passion, and took a step back. She felt as if the inside of her chest was suddenly freezing and feared that she might implode under pressure. Seldom had she seen him like this, and wondered if she hadn’t pushed her luck. But at least she had achieved what she had come here for.

The few counsellors that had not yet left the room –call it curiosity, stupidity or bravery- suddenly felt the urge to run out. They briefly bowed to the King, whispering a word of courtesy, and nimbly made their way out.

            “When you play with fire, little one...” he said as he walked to the doors, “... you get _burnt_.”

He had insisted on that last word right before closing the two large doors and locking them, so that the guards as well as any other elf within earshot heard him.

***

            After his echoing last words and the clangorous locking of the doors came silence. He waited a few seconds, his forehead against the wood, then slowly turned around. She closed her eyes. All she could hear was his muffled footsteps and the swishing of his garment as he paced towards her.

3...

2...

1.

She opened her eyes and raised her head, meeting his stare. She could feel her heart racing.

She smiled.

            “I thought they’d never leave.”

He smiled back.

            “You did make quite a scene.”

            “You weren’t bad, either. You almost had me scared for a moment.”

            “Well,” he added, “I wanted them out as much as you did. So I played my part.” He leaned forward and whispered into her ear. “Thank you for rescuing me, princess. Now, we have some work to do if we want this forest cleaned...”

She put one hand behind his neck and put her mouth to his ear, too. “We’ve done enough lately, my Lord, even if it yet remains undisclosed... Moreover, I think if we want people to really buy our little mind game, Thrandy, I better look exhausted walking out of here...”

He gave out a light moan. He cupped her cheeks and gently pressed his lips against hers before pulling away. His eyes were much darker when he opened them again, and a grin was forming on his lips. “Whatever my Lady wishes.”

They kissed again, this time with much more passion, pulling one another ever closer. This kiss was power, it was hunger, it was fire. Without breaking the kiss, he picked her up and carried her to the secret hallway that led to his bedroom.

 


End file.
